


Celestial Influence VII

by Aweebwrites



Series: Celestial Influence [7]
Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Family Fluff, Fluff, Light Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Team Fluff, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-25 05:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20371696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aweebwrites/pseuds/Aweebwrites
Summary: The team heads back to Ninjago to reconnect and to pick up where they left off.





	1. Chapter 1

"How do you even have food around here?" Cole asked as he watched Zane and Garmadon work in the kitchenette the next morning, Lloyd put to sleep on his bed upstairs.

"Oni are shape-shifters and Lloyd has the power of amber, which means he also has the power of form like Nya does. We take occasional trips to Ninjago for supplies." The Oni shrugged, stirring the pancake batter with his lower hands while adding milk with an upper.

"I'm more curious how you got like this." Kai says, gesturing to his clearly Oni state with the mentality of the Garmadon they once knew.

"Yeah. Didn't those Oni masks just bring back the bad you?" Nya asked, perplexed.

"That it did." Garmadon confirmed, reaching for a small bowl of blueberries, his gray-tipped tail flicking as he did. "But power like that is never that simple. Try as the Oni- my kind- may, they cannot change the will of things. For where there is shadow, there is light, just as no matter how bright the light may be, the moment it flickers, the shadows return-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Lessons and what not. Just tell us how Lloyd managed to bring you back!" Jay huffed impatiently from his crossed legged seat mid air.

Garmadon shot him an unimpressed look but he supposed he owes them a more direct explanation. He sighed then turned to them, setting the empty bowl aside as he stirred still, Zane quietly working on eggs and bacon.

"A soul may be one thing but it has two sides, like a coin. The good and the bad. Much like a coin, you can't part the two sides, or rather make the coin hold one side. But what you can do, is to put the coin on one side, allowing only one side to be visible and the other side hidden underneath. That's exactly what the masks did: amplified the dark half of my soul and suppressed the light half under it." He explained, making sure they were all following him. "What Lloyd did was bring back balance within my soul, turning the coin on its side so to speak. The reawakening of my Oni blood through the masks however, is irreversible. I will tell you all the very same thing I told Lloyd." He says seriously and they all unconsciously stiffened.

"I am both the Sensei and the Lord you once knew. Both sides are equal within me which means I may do and say things that makes that clear. While I have no intentions to rule Ninjago, I also have no desire to become a Sensei again." He told them, meeting all of his former students' eyes. "Right now, I'm content to simply be a father." He adds, turning away again as he focused on his batter.

The five ninja shared a look before Zane spoke up.

"... Is that why you chose not to let Sensei Wu know?" He says quietly and Garmadon's shoulders stiffened then slumped.

"I'm not the brother he once knew." He whispered solemnly.

"But you are the brother he'd be happy to have." They all looked to Lloyd as he walked down the narrow staircase.

"Lloyd!" The others called, perking up.

"Hey guy-" Was all he could get out before he was smothered in a group hug.

"Hey, we missed you bud!" Cole grinned, ruffling his hair.

"How have you been faring?" Zane asked him with a pleased smile on his face.

"I've been good!" Lloyd says with a laugh, then smiled at his friends. "I've missed you guys." He says fondly then laughed as he was pulled into another group hug.

Garmadon watched the group as they caught up then smiled a bit as he turned back to the stove. He can take over breakfast.

___________

"Woah! Kai has a dragon?!" Lloyd asked excitedly once Cole let it slip over breakfast.

"4 to be exact." Kai says with a grin that soon fell. "I'll have to head back soon. I'm worried, you know?" Kai says, glancing out the opened doors.

"Speaking of, I gotta check on those boneheads back in the underworld. They're pretty clumsy so let's hope that the Underworld Temple is in one piece still." Cole says, twirling his fork.

"Not to mention we have to check in on Sensei Wu." Nya reminded.

"And figure out what we're gonna do from here." Zane added.

"Yeah. It's clear we're not needed as ninja anymore but defending Ninjago is in our blood." Jay spoke up with a frown. "... But at the same time, it's been great having a break, you know?" He added, looking to his friends who shared a look.

"Jay's right. Despite everything… It's nice to just relax for a bit but at the same time, I don't want to just abandon our role of protecting Ninjago, no matter how unwanted we are." Lloyd says with a frown, poking at his egg he hadn't touched.

"We should confront Sensei with this and see if he can assist us." Zane suggested and the team gave their agreement.

"So when do we leave?" Nya asked them, twirling her fork.

"After you've all finished your meal." Garmadon says from the kitchenette and they all looked down at their half finished meal.

"You'll come with us, right dad?" Lloyd asked quietly and Garmadon looked at his son, at his large, pleading green eyes…

Then swore.

"Woah! Did Garmadon just swear?!" Jay yelled, looking at him wide eyed in surprise and delight.

"Don't listen to your dad, Lloyd." Kai says, covering his ears as he shot Garmadon a glare.

Said Oni only rolled his eyes, placing a lower hand on his hip.

"Hurry up before I change my mind," was all Garmadon said and Lloyd beamed at his dad.

The former Lord huffed lightly then turned back to the pots with a small smile. One thing hasn't changed: he'd do anything for his son.

_____________

Wu swept the Monastery yard in silence, his movements slow to reflect that he was deep in thought. It's been almost 4 months since he's lain sight on his students. While Ninjago was still in one piece, it's been a struggle to keep it that way. The other elemental masters were by no means useless but they are new to protecting all of Ninjago, and this often too. Villains old and new have stepped up to the plate, some wanting to rule, most wanting to make mischief and steal. They haven't had any real threats yet but that won't last very long. It's all a matter of time. He set aside his broom then looked over at the pillar in the middle of the training yard that held all of their symbols on the ground around it. It was an anomaly.

During once each week when the celestial occurrence happens, each of their symbols glow in turn with each. While it may have been obvious that they had been the ones to cause each, the glows only goes further to confirm that his pupils were well. He walked over to the pillar- only to be stunned by a bright flash of light. He stumbled back, rubbing his eyes to erase the white spots taking over his vision so he could see.

"Oh Sensei! Good timing!" He looked up then, his heart swelling with hope and happiness to see his students there, all grinning at him.

"Ninja…" He says in relief, a smile lighting the weary lines of his face. "I-" He cut himself off once he noticed the tall figure behind them shift.

His eyes widened once he saw his brother there, saw his red-orange eyes flicker up to him before he sighed, stepping forward, the claws on his inverted legs tapping lightly as he did. Soon, his older brother was standing before him, all but towering over his shorter frame.

"There is… Much to discuss." Garmadon spoke and Wu couldn't help but give a huff of laughter.

"That is an understatement."

_____________

"Any tips on what to do here, Sensei?" Kai asked after Lloyd explained their current situation, all of them seated for tea in the large communal space.

Wu pondered all he had just learned for a moment. They've made vast strides in control over their powers during the time they've been away but despite that, Ninjago may never accept them again as its protectors. But Ninjago did need them, that much was undeniable. He sipped his tea.

"This is indeed a… Unique situation." He began. "Ninjago will need your protection still. While the Elemental Masters and Pixal grow stronger each day, the role of Ninjago's protector will always belong to you six. Given that they have refused you all and are unlikely to willingly ask for your help… Then there is only one solution that fits all of your needs." He says, glancing at them.

"What?" Jay asked impatiently.

"Let's just say… What Ninjago doesn't know… Won't hurt them." Wu says with a barely suppressed smirk.

It took them all a second before they got what Wu was implying.

"Wait, you want us to-"

"Keep protecting Ninjago, but under the radar?" Zane finished for Nya.

"More along the lines of an occasional patrol." Garmadon corrected, all of their attention shifting to him. "From what I've seen, the other Elemental Masters are effective, despite their lessening struggle. An occasional check up to see how they're doing and give a hidden but helping hand should suffice." He says then finished off his tea.

"My brother is correct," Wu spoke up, saying the word fondly and Garmadon could barely keep the small smile off his face. "This way, not only do you each get to keep a considerable amount of your free time, you are also still involved in keeping Ninjago safe," he summarised, and the ninja pondered this.

"It shouldn't be a problem staying out of sight. At least, not for me." Kai grinned then vanished from his seat, setting his cup down. "Plus having time for my dragons still? Sign me up." He says, appearing next to Wu.

"Well, I am resigning vehicles and mechs for the other ems as is. I can drop them off in areas I know they'll see them so that could give us even more time. I mean, some peace and quiet isn't a bad thing. I'm down." Nya hummed, tapping her nails against the table.

"Yeah I'm in. I mean, the Skulkin can take care of themselves- er, mostly- but Ninjago is also under my jurisdiction." He grinned, resting his chin in his hand.

"Yeah! Though looks like I gotta get a hobby or a pet. Or just bug you guys." Jay shrugged then grinned at his teammates cheekily.

"Don't forget your promise to your parents though," Lloyd reminds him.

"Never." Jay says seriously, giving them all a bit of whiplash from his jump from playful to dead serious.

"Well… Good." Lloyd says, blinking at him then turning to his uncle. "That works then. Ninjago will always be my home and I'll always defend it but... I finally have my dad back. For good this time." They didn't miss the subtle glow in his eyes at that fact.

"I wanna enjoy it, you know?" He said, smiling at his father who returned it and ruffled his hair gently, pulling a small laugh from his lips.

"Speaking of parents. Nya, are you up for a visit to ours in a day or two?" Kai asked her and she nods.

"Yeah. It's been a while after all." She says softly, tracing the lines on her cup.

"For now," Kai says as he stepped away from their Sensei. "I have to head back to the Fire Temple," he announced, and they nodded.

"I'll come with!" Jay says, eager to meet the dragons Kai was worrying so much over.

"I think we all will. I mean, it's been a while after all." Lloyd says and a moment of silence passed as they remembered the Ultra Dragon.

"Let's go then." Cole says, breaking the silence as he stood up.

"I'll be back soon Uncle, Dad." Lloyd said as they all got up.

"I'll be here when you get back." Garmadon reassured, noting how his son's shoulders relaxed.

Lloyd nods before heading out with the others. Soon, there was a flash of light and accompanying thunder.

"... So, shall I give you a scratch behind the ear?" Wu asks, glancing down at his brother's flicking tail.

"Fuck off, Wu."

_________

"Flare! Solaris! Spark! Heath! I'm home!" Kai called out as they all walked across the bridge over the molten lava moat below.

There was silence for a moment before Solaris and Flare rushed out, eager chitters and roars escaping them. They skittered to a stop not far away however once they noticed he had company they didn't know.

"It's alright! They're friends!" Kai laughed, walking up to them both, reaching his hands out and they both lowered their heads to them, purring as he petted them. "Where's Spark and Heath?" He asked with a small frown, noticing that they weren't coming.

That seemed to remind them of something and they began nudging him towards the temple. Immediately knowing something was wrong, he took off without explanation, leaving his friends to follow, confused and worried. He hame to a stop in the ground center of the temple, looking up at where his nest was. There, Heath sat anxiously, looking down into the next. Kai took a single leap, landing at the edge of it and gasped softly to see Spark laying there, breathing quickly, his worst fears coming through.

"Spark…" He whispered, shifting closer, hands hovering over her, not sure where to begin with trying to fix this, trying to make her better. "Heath, what happened?" Kai asked the blue dragon as his friends and Heath's siblings joined him.

Heath gave a low whine, wings pressed flat with a pained look on his face that showed he didn't know.

"Don't worry Spark, I'll-" Kai cut himself off when he touched her.

"What is it?" Nya asked, all of them watching them.

"Can we help?" Jay asked and Kai shook his head.

"No, no. It's just… She's colder than I remember,” he says with a frown before his eyes widened. "I think I know what's wrong." Kai then gathered fire in both of his hands.

He gently rested them on her body, a pulse of fire rushing over her. Spark blinked open her eyes then, a confused coo leaving her and Kai laughed.

"She had a cold is all. It happened once before with Solaris shortly after I made them. They're still growing so it's pretty easy for them to get sick. A lava bath or a faster working fire shot from me does the trick." Kai explains as Spark lifted her head, sitting up slowly as she regained her bearings.

"Feeling better girl?" He asked, reaching up to stroke her snout and she purrs, leaning into his touch.

She opened her eyes to look at him then spotted the group, a curious sound leaving her.

"They're friends. Go say hi." He encouraged her and she shuffles past him eagerly, taking a sniff at Lloyd.

"Nice to meet you." The blonde smiled as he reached up, letting her smell his hand before pressing her snout against it.

That gave the others the courage to interact with her as well as Solaris and Flare. Kai smiled at them but it fell when he turned to Heath, seeing the neutral expression he wore but seeing that he was troubled through his eyes.

"She's alright now, Heath. You did good," Kai says, reaching up to stroke the blue scales of his snout but Heath only looked more troubled.

Kai frowned, looking over his dragon, trying to figure out the source of the negativity he could feel from him. Heath wasn't usually like this. Did something else happen? He looked back at the other members of their little family, seeing them relishing under the curious attention of the other ninja then looked back at Heath. It hit Kai out of nowhere but it didn't stop him from feeling ridiculous for not realising sooner. He tasked Heath with a lot of responsibility, taking care of his siblings as he did. To have Spark come around with a cold so suddenly and for him to be as helpless to do anything about it as he was must have taken a serious toll on him. If he was in his place, of course it would bother him.

"Heath…" Kai says quietly then stood. "We'll be back in a sec, guys." He called, beckoning Heath to come with him as he floated his way towards the main chamber of the volcano the temple was attached to.

Heath hesitated, looking at Solaris as she gave the freckled brunette a lick as he laughed, looking at Flare as he purred under the expert petting of the black-clothed male and the one in white, looking lastly to Spark as she preened under the attention of all the others. They're just as powerful as their creator. They'd be safe… with that, he climbed off the high nest, following after his creator. 

Kai lead him away from the others and towards the magma pool that made up the core of the volcano. He then stood at the edge, slipping his shoes off before sitting and dipping his feet in the hot material, the heat not bothering him at all. Heath padded over, sitting at the edge of the pool, his tail dipped into the material as well, his wings tucked close as he looked at the hot material bubbling before him. Kai watched him for a moment before he fixed his eyes there too, finally speaking.

"You did well. Looking after the others I mean." Kai says and Heath glanced at him, his eyes clearly showing that he didn't agree. "You did. I don't need to look to know your expression is saying otherwise," Kai huffed, and Heath only returned to watching the magma bubbles.

"Really though, Heath," Kai says, looking over to the blue dragon that refused to make eye contact. "I'm really proud of you." He shifts closer so he could reach up to pet Heath’s maw.

Heath shook his hand off however, a series of growls, hisses and grumbles pouring from him angrily but Kai understood what he was trying to say. While he couldn't speak or directly understand what they were trying to say, he did have a connection with then that exceeded language barriers, and that made him understand exactly what they were saying anyways.

"Heath," Kai deadpans, stopping the anxious blue dragon from ranting any further.

Heath finally met his creator's eyes, looking into his understanding amber eyes that flickered and morphed like the flames he commanded.

"Spark getting sick wasn't something you could have prevented. It's the will of all living things to get sick at some point. It's not your fault. It's just the will of things," Kai says gently, his touch feeling far warmer than the boiling materials his tail was dipped in. "You've done perfectly. None of you have a scratch, the temple and forest are still in one piece and you didn't leave Spark's side the whole time she was sick. But I can tell your worry, your doubts won't go away so easily." He says with a sad smile, tilting his head to the side as he continued to stroke Heath's muzzle.

"Good thing I'm practically a god. Let's see what these powers can do." Kai announces, looking down at his hands.

He then took a slow breath out, focusing on what he wanted, then willed his goals into being. Heath watched curiously as his creator began to glow, the light traveling up his hands to his face. He watched still as light began to collect in the space between his hands, glowing brighter and brighter still. Heath looked away once it became too much, only looking back once his creator sighed. In open palms, he held a white flame that danced leisurely. The flame then grew apart, creating four equally sized flames, one meant for each of the dragons he birthed from his flames.

"This should do the trick. Healing flames." Kai says then held three in one hand as he got to his feet, standing before Heath. "You'll each have this one. Just in case someone else gets sick." He says then pressed the flame into Heath's chest, watching as he glowed white for a moment, the glow soon fading to reveal Heath looking the same- aside from his claws and beginnings of his horns being white that is.

"From now on, you don't need me or the volcano to help you heal up. You can do it for each other. You don't have to feel helpless anymore," Kai says softly and Heath looked at his creator for the longest while before leaning in and rubbing his head up against his chest, a low purr escaping him, worries for the future soothed for now.

Kai only smiled and rubbed between his horn nubs.

"Come on. Let's share the love," Kai says softly, Heath lifting his head with a confirming huff, leading the way back to the others, his strides confident and protective.

Kai laughs as he dissolved into smoke, reappearing in the nest where the others were, the healing fire ready to be gifted.

__________

"So we'll meet back up here in two days?" Cole asked asked as they all stood outside the Monastery in the courtyard.

"Yeah. Then we do first patrol." Lloyd told them and they nodded.

"Alright. Then I'm off to my parents," Jay says, taking a step back then vanishing in a flash of lightning.

"The same for us." Nya grins, gesturing to Kai before they both took off going airborne.

"I have to head back to the Underworld," Cole says, tapping his foot against the ground and Zane watched as he slowly sunk into the ground without so much as a tremble from the earth below them.

"I'll return back to the Birch Forest." Zane says then paused, his eyes glowing brighter for a moment before he blinked it away. "... I just need to make a quick detour first." He adds and Lloyd nodded at him, watching as he and the Falcon vanished into shadow.

Lloyd stood there for a second longer then yawned as he turned inside, scratching at his stomach, his new gi fading into his comfy hoodie and sweats as he did. He walked towards his father and uncle as they talked at length, interrupting by crawling into his father's arms and testing his head against his chest, dozing almost instantly, leaving both Oni and hybrid to stare at him. Garmadon only released low, barely audible purrs as he stroked his son's hair, picking back up on their conversation about the future of the ninja as their powers continue to develop. Thankfully, much slower than their initial power gain.

Wu was content to continue their discussion, eyes on Lloyd as he slept comfortably. His brother had explained how Lloyd brought him back but it made him even more aware of just how powerful he was. Soul manipulation was not an easy feat after all. In fact, only his father, Lloyd's grandfather, managed to do it without a relic and even what little he managed to do was a great struggle. It made the fact that Lloyd's power, that the ninja's power surpassed that of their father's. They had the power to reshape, to remake the entirety of Ninjago with mere thoughts if they wanted to. He supposed he should be grateful this power fell into their laps and not anyone else's.

____________

Zane reappeared on a tiny remote island somewhere in the Endless Sea. Reclusive as it may be, Zane knew this island, had been here before. But the tower that had stood tall was in less than favourable conditions, no doubt due to the backlash if unlocking their powers. At the very least, it was still standing. Zane began walking up the stairs as his Falcon checked the perimeter, his mind going back to the brief vision he had. Usually he received visions while sleeping. Having them while awake is… Different. But it's more convenient, unable to be passed off as a dream. Though this one made him question a few things…

He stood before the wooden door, withering no doubt from exposure to seawater, no means of replacing it available. Still, he was gentle on opening it, a microscopic amount of his powers more than enough to freeze the locks to their core, a gentle push breaking them like they weren't there at all. Zane continued inside, keeping his steps light against the decaying wood, a small frown on his face. He supposes the broadening of his understanding that came with awakening their powers was responsible for his lack of a harsh reaction at what was revealed to him. He understood his father's position why he would hide something this big from him. But he also understood his father was incorrect in hiding this. If he had said something, left him a clue, perhaps he could be here sooner. Perhaps  _ he _ wouldn't have to be left on his own for this long, wouldn't be forced to suffer loneliness and malfunctions. He looked up as he finally entered the main room of the tower, the slumped figure next to the table catching his eye. He walked towards them, his footsteps unheard, despite the worn floorboards, standing before the younger brother he realised he had just moments ago. He stood before him and the small rust covered bot he clutched close to him. He recognised it as the one his father left behind. Tai-D. He doesn't appear to be working anymore, either. The rust was too substantial. He watched as the bronze Nindroid's eyes flickered on, a creak sounding as he lifted his head.

He watched still as those mustard-coloured eyes widened at the sight of him. There was a straining creak as he lifted his hand towards him with difficulty.

"Y-y-you're… Y-y-you're…" Echo Zane attempted to say, his voice glitching and faltering as he suffered from lack of maintenance.

There's only so much a Nindroid can do with so little supplies after all. Zane knelt before him, a small smile on his face as he took his hand, lacing their fingers together.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get here, brother." He says quietly as the glow of Echo's eyes flickered in and out. "Things will be alright from here on out." Zane promised him, and Echo managed a smile, even as his brother began to glow.

His vision flickered out as he started to power down. He'll be alright from now on… Brother was here…

________

When Echo awoken next, it was to an unfamiliar and very high roof. Are those stairs?... He sat up- then blinked once his joints hadn't creaked or rubbed in any way. In fact, they had never felt so smooth. He looked down at his hands… Then blinked again.

"What's… This?" He whispered, noticing the minor adjustment in his metal colour and design

It's hard not to, not when the analytics in the corners of his vision were so sharp and precise. He's never had them that updated before. His plating was never this seamless either. What happened? He blinked once he heard a familiar sound. His eyes widened once Tai-D hopped up, looking more put together than he ever has been before.

"Tai… D…" Echo whispered, eyes wide and happy.

He wasn't rusty anymore! He wasn't… He wasn't… Gone. Tai-D only gave a beep of greeting.

"I see you're awake." Echo looked to the voice as they spoke and he blinked, seeing him there.

The one he was modeled after, the one father told many tales about… The original Zane.

"It only occured to ask your consent before I gave you an update and for that, I'm sorry." Zane apologized and Echo blinked at him.

"So you really came…" Echo whispered, confusing and concerning his older brother.

Zane saw him leap at him before he actually did it but he allowed it all the same, hugging him close as Echo clung to him tightly. He rubbed his back gently as his brother shook, unphased when he began dampening his clothes with the lens cleaner that acted as tears. He's been through a lot after all. Zane closed his eyes as he held him tight. He won't ever be alone again. That's one thing he can promise.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The story continues!

Zane debated if he should bring Echo along with him to meet up with the ninja. He’s been doing well these past two days. He had nightmares of loneliness Zane’s been soothing with a cold kiss before they could get worse though. The first day, he would get anxious if he wasn’t always in his line of sight. It took Zane leaving an ever present aura of cold for Echo to feel at ease while he was busy. He’s adjusting well to his upgraded body at least. Zane had kept some of their father’s handiwork but altered most of it. It also helped him realise the powers they held surpassed simple elemental and creative properties. They had the power to partially or completely alter living and non-living things. That should have been apparent with his alteration of the Falcon but it’s so much more apparent with Echo.

He had wanted to keep his appearance relatively the same but make him stronger, resilient to damage and independent of upgrades. He succeeded. The material he replaced Echo’s bronze exoskeleton with was far superior while remaining close in colour. His face lacked the obvious seams he had previously, making Echo resemble him more than ever. His eyes were brighter and golden in colour, to match his heart metaphorically. He was a sponge for information and curious, always willing to help.

_‘I am built to protect those who cannot protect themselves.' _He had once said.

The words struck Zane deep. It was noble of their father, noble of him. He couldn’t dally for longer. He had to meet the others. He decided then.

“Echo.” Zane says as he stood, watching as he looked up at him from his place on the couch, watching Tai-D bustle around with cleaning. “Get ready. We’ll be leaving shortly. I’d like for you to meet my friends.” He says and that caught Echo’s interest.

“Are they powerful like you, brother?” Echo asked as he looked up at him.

“Yes. But I’ve known them long before these powers. Now go on.” Zane urged and he nods, taking off to his room to change.

_____

Unsurprisingly, they all arrived at the same time, with Lloyd, Garmadon and Wu sitting on the steps in front of the door to the inside.

“Who’s that?” Jay was the first to ask, noticing that Zane wasn’t alone.

“He looks a lot like you…” Lloyd pointed out and the others nodded their agreement.

“That’s because he’s my brother.” Zane says lightly and Echo shifts with unease, not sure how to respond and react to so many new faces. “His name is Echo Zane. Our father left him behind in the tower.” He explained.

“N-nice to meet you…” He says quietly, holding onto Zane’s hand tightly.

“Nice to meet you too.” Nya says with a smile.

“Any brother of Zane’s is a brother of ours.” Kai grinned.

“Well said Kai.” Wu says with a nod of approval.

“We can’t wait to properly meet you Echo.” Lloyd says as he got up and walked over to the team, his gi appearing in his person as he did. “But right now, we have to go. There’s trouble in Ninjago.” He told them and they grew serious.

“Echo.” Zane spoke as he looked towards his brother who looked up at him with large golden eyes. “I will be leaving for a bit. Please stay here with Sensei Wu and Garmadon. They will look after you until I get back.” He says and Echo nodded, understanding without actually knowing what his brother needed to do.

He just knew it was important he let him do so without hindrance. 

“Alright. I’ll be here when you get back!” Echo says with a wide smile and Zane returned it with a fond one.

He then turned to his friends. 

“Let’s go.” He told them and they nodded, taking Jay’s hands then each other’s. 

They then vanished in a flash. Echo turned to the two he was left in the care of, not sure how to proceed. 

“I hope you like Mahjong.” Wu says lightly as Garmadon helped him up and Echo ran a search for the term, smiling once results showed that it was a game.

“I’ve never played but I would like to try.” He days, walking towards the two elders. 

____

“Next to New Ninjago City, Jamanakai village is always under some duress.” Nya says as they watched from the cover of cloud as people panicked and ran, the bandits invading the village creating mayhem and fires that Bolobo could hardly fight against.

“Very true. Nya, some rain if you would?” Zane prompted and she grinned.

“I’ve got you.” She says, summoning her trident.

She then gave it a whirl then struck the cloud they stood on. Immediately, the clouds began thickening and darkening, gathering together with her steady supply of moisture to prepare for heavy rainfall.

“Bolobo uses nature so I’ll deal with this one.” Lloyd says as he stood up.

They nodded, watching as he vanished, the rain starting up then.

“The air charge is just perfect for a bit of reaping…” Jay grinned then stood up.

They watched as he reached a hand out, lightning immediately rushing up from the ground into his palm, his body absorbing it all with ease. He did that with intent, the force of the sudden upthrust of energy as well as the deafening thunder that followed startled a bandit long enough to allow a small family to escape their clutches.

“Looks like Lloyd found the ring leader.” Cole says as they like down at the village from the eye of the storm, not seeing him but sensing where he was.

“He’s waiting for Bolobo to use his powers again before she makes his move.” Nya commented, leaning against the hilt of her trident as she watched as well. “But his hands are a little full at the moment.” She pointed out and they dashed their eyes to where Bolobo was being held down by several bandits, his staff knocked from his hand.

“I’ll take care of it.” Zane says, summoning his bow.

He pulled back on the string as he aimed, the ivory arrow appearing as he did. He released then with a breath out and they watched as the arrow whistled through the air, down to where Bolobo was being beat down. It struck the ground then, confusing the bandits as it vanished but then ice grew from the spot outwards, encasing all but Bolobo in its freezing grip. The elemental stood there, completely shocked as his arms were still being held by the frozen solid bandits. A scream echoed and he snapped out of it, pulling away then grabbing his staff. The moment he got used his powers was the moment nature unleashed, strange plants sprouting tron the ground, not his staff to capture every single bandit in the village, even the iced over ones. The plants coiled around them to their necks and Bolobo stares, the small plant from his staff falling off. He couldn’t have done that. He can’t do all this. He knew it and yet… He recalled the ice and looked back to the slowly melting bandits.

How… What happened here?

He looked up once the rain stopped then blinked at the closing hole in the clouds.

What was that? Was it divine intervention? Or… 

He recalls the freeze that had happened a few months back and frowned.

The ninja? 

He didn’t have time to ponder further. The villagers were rushing towards him with thanks on their tongues. It made him uncomfortable. He knew he didn’t do all this and he didn’t want to accept thanks for what he hadn’t done. Yet still… He didn’t think they’d believe him otherwise… He offered the villagers tight smiles and nods. He had to report this to the others… 

_____

“Work’s not done yet. We have multiple breakouts across Ninjago. Can you sense them?” Lloyd asked as they continued to leave Jamanakai village behind, soaring through the clouds.

“Yes. Recognisable though negative and malicious energies. There are smaller occurrences the other elemental masters or the settlement leaders can handle but as of now, there are four major uprisings we need to attend to, one not yet in motion.” Zane spoke and they nodded. “To the south has a higher negative output than the other two. Lloyd, Nya. You head there. Jay, Cole, you two head north west. Kai and I will head further north. We will all regroup at New Ninjago City.” He instructed and they nodded, not quite looking forward to the city but not allowing their discomfort to stop them from giving a helping hand.

“Afterwards, we need to work on a faster means of travel. Teleporting even.” Kai says, crossing his arms.

“Yeah. I mean, sure my lightning allows me to travel at the same speed of light but it’s not quite the same as instantly being at the place I want to be.” Jay says with a shrug and Lloyd nods.

“Fair enough. For now, let’s move out.” He instructed and they nodded, breaking off.

“Do you really think we can pull of something as complex as teleportation? Bending the very fabric of time and space?” Nya asked Lloyd as they headed to their location.

“We live in an age of endless evolution. The only thing that isn’t possible is what we haven’t thought of yet.” Lloyd says quietly, having something specific in mind as he said the words.

If the words he spoke are true then… There’s something he’d like to try… And he had a feeling it would require all of them.

______

“Of course it’s Kryptarium Prison. When isn’t it?” Jay says dryly as they approached.

“There’s always some flaws to these things. It’s just that whoever designed it was an architectural genius but was also clearly not sober.” Cole commented as they swooped in, landing on the roof of the prison soundlessly. “They need to be given a raise. Then fired.” He continues, as they walked along to find a way in without damaging the building. 

“Out of a volcano.” Jay agrees and Cole paused, looking back at Jay.

“Really? Volcano’s the best you could come up with?” Cole asked dryly. 

“Saying cannon is too lame, too common. Besides, how cool would it be to actually launch something out of a volcano?!” Jay grinned and Cole narrowed his eyes. 

“Don’t think about it. We aren’t launching anything from a volcano. We need to be responsible now more than ever.” Cole lectured as he kept a keen ear put, kneeling once he was sure he was over the area of disturbance. “The riot’s just below. They’ve almost broken through.” He told Jay who nods, summoning his nunchucks.

“And I wouldn’t launch anything out of a volcano.” Jay huffed, striking a signal pole with the lightning from his nunchucks, sending it down to the main cells where the riot was to render all the villains unconscious. “Nothing big anyway.” He says to himself very quietly.

“I heard that.” Cole says, throwing him an unimpressed look.

“Ok, ok! Jeez.” Jay huffed.

They both blinked, hearing a familiar growl.

“Of course lightning doesn’t work on the big guy.” Jay sighed to himself. “What do we do?” He asked, looking to Cole as he frowned.

The larger male only sighed, placing his hands on his hips. 

“Nothing to do but fight him head on.” Cole says and Jay groaned then paused.

“Now that it crossed my mind, this is a great way to check just how much stronger you’ve gotten.” He pointed out, walking towards the edge of the large roof, Cole following behind him.

“Huh. You’re right.” Cole says after a moment of consideration. “Can you run interference while I take him on?” He asked Jay who grinned.

“Leave it to me.”

________

“These clowns are still around?” Kai huffed, spotting the SOGs from a distance where they were attempting to take over a small city.

“It appears so. They’re damaging property at a rapid rate. The sooner we take them down, the better.” Zane says, analysing the situation for the best means of how to do so.

“Here come the other elementals.” Kai says, spotting them riding in, the vehicles they were driving in on looking a lot like Pixal’s handy work. “Tox, Neuro, Gravis and Chamille. Do you think they can handle this?” He asked Zane as they watched from the top of a nearby skyscraper, feet hanging off the edge.

“We’ll see. This is supposed to be us helping after all, not saving everyone for them.” Zane reminded and Kai nodded, watching them jump right into it.

“Rookie mistake leaving your back wide open like that.” Kai commented after watching Tox getting struck from behind. 

“I’m sure she’ll learn eventually.” Zane says lightly, observing Gravis using his gravitational powers to throw the SOGs off.

“Yeah, I can see that.” Kai agreed, watching her cover her back with her poison.

In fact, she was spreading it out, using just enough to weaken them instead of seriously hurting them with it. Neuro was struggling to focus long enough to be of use. It was hard to when they knew to keep him distracted. They had him cornered, weapons ready to hurt. Kai looked over to Zane.

“Hey Zane. Show me how to aim your bow.” Kai says and Zane summoned his bow without question.

“Hold the riser right here. Make sure not to block the slight window. You should look there while aiming.” Zane instructed, adjusting Kai’s posture and hold. “Pull back the sting like so.” He says, pulling back the string with him, his hand over Kai’s on the raiser.

The arrow that appeared was swirled with red and white, a combination of both of their powers. They both released with Zane’s order, the arrow shooting towards the group seconds away from pouncing on Neuro. It struck the ground between the two and exploded in a burst of steam, shards of ice taking down the group before melting from the lingering heat from the steam. By the time it cleared, Neuro alone was left standing, wholly confused. What was that? He looked up towards the arrows trajectory but saw no-one. He frowned deeply. He was grateful for the help but he had a feeling… He shook his head then focused on the group of SOGs swarming his friends despite their sluggish movements.

________

“This one is right up our alley.” Nya says with a smirk, looking down at the ghostly infestation of a mountain village.

“Yeah. But we have to be careful. Griffin, Shade and Ash are here.” Lloyd says, spotting them.

“Griffin’s having a little too much fun.” Nya says dryly from their place standing on a higher point on the mountain.

Said elemental was darting around and laughing up a storm as he sprayed water from his water gun, hitting only a small number of them.

“For now, we observe and let him find out on his own that there’s a time and place for everything.” Lloyd says, taking a seat and Nya sat with him, a hand on her cheek.

“At least their numbers are few. They must be left overs from the Cursed Realm.” Nya commented, watching them attempt to corner the ghosts but they lacked deepstone and the ghosts could always dodge their water.

They’re only good due to how difficult it would be to possess them. Ash just turns to smoke, Shade morphs into shadow and they can’t catch Griffin.

“Some of them possessed a few villagers. They won’t win this one without help.” Lloyd says to himself then straightened his back. “Some Deepstone weapons should give them the upper hand.” He says as green light traveled up his arms, up his neck and on his face.

Horns protruded from his forehead as Nya watched him gather his energy, felt the power radiating from him. He them thrusted his green energy downwards, the glow splitting off into three then fading to reveal shurikens very similar to what they used while defending Ninjago from the Preeminent. Each took out at least one of the green ghostly figures before lodging themselves in the hands of each elemental.

“Woah!” Griffin says, coming to a stop next to the others, following their lead to look over the weapon they now held.

“Where did they come from?” Ash asked, turning it over, a small frown on his face.

Shade was suspicious. He looked around then up the mountain but saw no-one. It must be one of them. Where did they even get the deepstone needed to make these? Did they steal it? Shade wouldn’t put anything past them. Not after all they’ve done. A growl caught their attention and they spun around, eyes widening once they came face to face with a ghost. Or launched itself at them but instead of possessing one of them, it was harshly reflected.

“It reflects too? Now I know something’s up.” Shade says with a frown. 

“Well figure that out after we get rid of these guys.” Ash says then tossed his shuriken at a ghost, marvel once it followed after it, even after it turned a corner, only getting faster and faster.

Shade narrowed his eyes but complied. If those bastards think that he can be easily moved by something as superficial as new weapons, they best think again.

________

The giant Stone Warrior roared as it swung a punch at Cole who took it head on, not even budging from his spot standing before him, the impact ricocheting through the soldier’s arm and he growled as he stepped back.

“Well. Looks like I really am stronger than I was.” Cole grinned as the giant seethed.

“You better hurry. The other ems should be here any moment now.” Jay says, watching from above, cross-legged mid air.

“Right.” Cole nodded then summoned his scythe.

He then leapt at the giant warrior, dodging his swords then swung with a grunt. Everything stood still as Cole floated back but then there was a loud thud as one of the Stone Warrior’s hands holding his sword fell from his body, leaving the warrior to bring as he held onto the stub of what was left of his arm.

“Either you stay in your cell from now on or I’ll finish what the Overlord started. For good.” Cole warned and the Warrior growled then retreated into his cell slowly, green eyes malicious but too fearful to attack again.

Cole nodded then lands on his feet. A tap of the base of his scythe to the ground had metallic bars shooting up, locking the giant in.

“That’s that. Let’s get outta here Jay.” Cole’s says, looking up at him and Jay nodded, floating down to hold his shoulder before they disappeared.

Just then, Karloff rushed in- only to blink at all the prisoners inside their cells unconscious, a large stone hand still clutching an even larger stone laying on the quadrangle. What happened here?…

______

The group met up on the outskirts of the vast New Ninjago City, tense and uncertain. Their last encounter with them wasn’t very good after all. But there were unnatural forces stirring up havoc in the city. They had to help.

“We gather them all in one place, then take them down in a clean swoop.” Kai instructed and they all nodded, taking off to different corners of the city.

Jay was the first to spot them. They looked like average Ninjagans but he could sense the change in their biology clearly. They were enhanced beings, mutated to mimic perfection he can guess. Little did whoever’s behind this know that there’s no such thing. They were supposed to keep out of sight but considering that he could sense over 20 in this area alone, that was out of the question.

_'Where do we lead these guys?' _Jay asked through thought, knowing already that Lloyd connected them all.

_'To the park. It should be able to hold them all and it’s away from the population.' _Was Zane’s response and Jay nodded, using his lightning to block them from attacking any more civilians.

“Time to see what these powers can really do.” Jay says with a grin, eyes starting to glow as blue light crept up his arms, all the way to his face.

He then rocketed down to the ground, creating a large energy outburst once he touched down, careful not to damage any infrastructure or bystanders.

Kai on the other hand held both swords in hand, a slash of them creating a wall of fire to prevent them from moving any further into the city.

“Haven’t you noticed by now? No-one who tries to take over the city ever succeed. At least not for long. You all think that a little experimentation that gave you all a small boost in strength and resistance makes you invincible.” Kai says as the very much conscious and willing participants of the experiments glared up at him, throwing whatever they could but they never make contact with Kai’s person.

He chuckled, holding his swords defensively as she hovered just above them.

“You think you all have true power? Laughable. I’ll show you true power.” Kai says as his skin and eyes started to glow. “Ninja go!” He yelled, starting up his Spinjitzu but it was noticeably different.

For one, it was massive, the size of a full tornado, his fire roaring and raging as the enhanced stepped back, eyes wide. A daring few tried to still charge- only to end up burned and thrown back. He began to move towards them, forcing them back into the city, flames appearing at other road routes and alleys to prevent them from breaking up. The non-enhanced civilians of Ninjago watched the spectacle with wide eyes. None of them had ever seen such a spectacle before, such raw power. The fire from his Spinjitzu looked like it could burn the sky if they wished. Such an inferno that is Kai’s Spinjitzu should have burned them all up already, should have them feeling its intense heat. A few of them even ended up in its path, engulfed in flames. But they were unharmed. The flames acting as if they weren’t there. There was no heat. The power and control just this former ninja had was incredible.

Soon enough, more elemental tornadoes popped up around the city, water from the waterspout lashing the enhanced, pushing them toward the park they were all converging on, the lightning vortex zapping those it chased to keep them on route. The dust devil stung its victim with sand and small rocks that struck pain into their toughened skins, keeping them on their right path as well. The largest green vortex simply pushed them along as it closed in, its path clear and uninterrupted to the park. Zane watched them all for a moment while stood against a large group of them. He nodded, taking position to also use his Spinjitzu when suddenly, he sensed something fast approaching from behind. He glanced over his shoulder then frowned, seeing the Samurai X VXL. This encounter will be interesting to say the least. He watched unphased as her vehicle vaulted over his head via the ice that appeared to protect him on its own, skidding to a stop just between him and the enhanced. He watched still as she turned the VXL towards him, no doubt glaring behind her mask. 

“What are you all doing here?! We don’t need you or your help! All you’re doing right now is causing mass hysteria! Leave the city at once or I’ll be forced to defend it!” Pixal yelled at him, gripping the steering wheel of her VXL tightly.

“There was hysteria before we arrived. We can’t counteract it right now. We need to focus our energies on getting rid of the superhuman first.” Zane says calmly, keeping his eyes on her while simultaneously keeping an eye on the enhanced behind her.

“The other elemental masters and I can take care of it!-”

“It doesn’t seem that way.” Zane says, extending his sight to Skylor, Dareth and Ronin who were being pummeled, no matter what they did by the few enhanced already in the park. “I’m sorry. I won’t allow you to delay me any longer. The others have been doing their part and I must do mine.” He says quietly, eyes glowing with his power.

Pixal gritted her teeth then slammed her hand down on the launch button on the control panel. Her eyes widened once the missiles aimed for thin air, detonating against the ice wall before her. She grunts as the force of the explosion shoved her Samurai VXL back but left the wall of ice untouched. She opened the hatch then looked around in alarm at the whistling sound, seeing the large vortex of frosty air and ice herding the enhanced towards New Ninjago City’s park. She clenched her fist. They were for strong. She couldn’t hope to stop them. She hopped back into her Samurai VXL then turned around, racing towards their converging point.

_She could try though._

__________

Echo looked over the board with extreme focus. The Mahjong Mr Wu had suggested had tiles that were almost exact. Even he, a Nindroid had to look closely. His ears picked up low talking however and he looked behind him, at the TV that was on but turned down low.

“What are those?” Echo asked, looking at the swirling pillars in different colours.

“The Ninja.” Garmadon says, grabbing the remote with his tail then taking it in hand to turn it up. 

“-ports say that the former ninja are the ones inside those vortexes. You heard that right! The very same former heroes who brought Ninjago itself to its knees then disappeared.” Gale reported from what looks like Borg Tower.

Not even she was brave enough to get in the middle of the ninja for a scoop. 

“They speak as if they weren’t the ones who demanded they disappear.” Garmadon spoke with a growl of irritation, his tail thumping against the ground in irritation. “And former? They have never stopped being Ninja.” He adds with a sneer, revealing thick fangs. 

“Be calm brother.” Wu says, resting a hand on his shoulder. “Anger will neither change not help the ninja’s situation.” He soothed. 

Garmadon only growled, not happy about this in the slightest.

“I don’t understand.” Echo spoke up, looking to the elders. “They’re helping them, aren’t they? Zane did tell me of how their powers were the cause of the strange things I saw at the tower but they fixed it all and they’re helping. Why do they hate them still?” He asked them and both elders shared a look.

“A life is a precious thing Echo. It’s irreplaceable.” Wu says tentatively. “… On the days the ninja took to unlock these powers deep inside them, several lives were forever lost.” He told him and Echo frowned.

Zane had also told him that. But… He looked down at Tai-D that was snoozing next to him to recover energy. It never really dawned on him what that really meant until just now. He lost Tai-D once… He didn’t want to lose him again. He did look back up at Mr Wu however.

“That’s not true.” Echo says, surprising and confusing both elders. “If they wanted to… They could bring anyone back. I’m not sure how I know that but I do.” He told them and both elders looked daunted at this information.

“… Echo. You must never let anyone else know this. Keep that secret tighter than you would keep your life.” Garmadon told him seriously and Echo nodded, wide eyed.

He understood why he had to however. If anyone else knew that, the ninja would never find peace. They would be constantly bombarded by threats and requests. It’s just… Echo looked at the Mahjong tiles before him. Mr Garmadon was really intimidating! 

_______

All six vortexes came to a stop at the outskirts of the park, the enhanced all on the offensive now that they realise that they’ve been cornered in. One by one, the swirling vortexes disappeared, revealing their corresponding Ninja floating mid air.

_'What’s next?' _Cole asked as he used his scythe to split an entire tree tossed in his direction. 

_'Their strength comes from the experimentations they went through. If we remove whatever serum they were given, they would be normal civilians and the Ninjago police force as well as the Samurai can take over.' _Zane explained through their mental link.

_'How do we do that? The serum is infused with their DNA and had even altered it.' _Nya pointed out, looking the enhanced over.

_'Simple. We turn back time on them.' _Lloyd provided, looking across the large park, his vision closing in on Zane. _'Zane, You focus on turning back time on them and I’ll focus on keeping the effects on them alone. The test of you keep out everyone that isn’t an enhanced.’ _He instructed, flying forwards, Zane doing the same.

_'Pixal is determined, isn’t she?' _Jay says, spotting her coming his way without looking behind him.

_'I’ll take care of her. You guys get a barrier going.' _Nya says, heading over to Jay’s direction.

_'Roger.' _Kai nodded then focused his fire, molding and shaping it into a pyramid shaped barrier. “Out you go.” He murmured as the barrier enveloped the enhanced but pushed out Ronin, Dareth and Skylor, despite Skylor dragging her feet in the grass. 

Cole and Jay followed suit, their barriers meeting as they expanded, merging and covering the entire park. Nya on the other hand threw out a wall of water to stop Pixal’s missiles from touching Jay. Not that they would have reached him anyway.

“Sorry Pix. Can’t let you-”

“Don’t call me that!” Pixal yelled from her Samurai VXL, a glare on her face beneath her helmet. “None of you have any right to be here! Not after what you’ve all done! Not after all the pain you’ve put all of Ninjago through! None of you should have ever came back! We were all fine without the world ending threat you all pose! Go back to wherever the hell you disappeared to!” She yelled angrily, blasting multiple missiles and lasers at Nya who looked sad, watching her.

A wall of water erected her from the blow, the liquid wrapping around the attacks and dissolving the impact completely. Nya sighed softly then reopened her now glowing eyes, before reaching a hand out to Pixal’s VXL. Pixal startles as her vehicle groaned before it lifted off the ground completely. She gritted her teeth then reached out to activate the mech update but she found herself unable to do so. The VXL opened suddenly and she found herself floating out, despite how much she tried to fight it.

“We aren’t oblivious to the damage we’ve caused before. In fact, we’re more aware of that than ever. We would have never come here or anywhere if we weren’t positive we wouldn’t cause damage.” Nya spoke quietly as the water that protected her orbited her like a ring on a planet, an endless stream of water. “The past May be the past but we use it to influence our future. We can never give back the lives lost but we can preserve the ones still here. You may not trust us, especially after almost losing your father so many times because of us, but we cannot let you stop us from protecting Ninjago. Whether any of you like it or not, Ninjago’s our home too. We’ll do our best for it.” She says quietly as Pixal watched her with narrowed eyes behind her helmet. 

“… Even if it means losing the friends we’ve come to know.” Nya spoke, expression morphing from sad and hurt to cool.

Light from behind her caught Pixal’s attention. She watched with wide eyes from the high altitude as Zane stood in the middle of the park, his hands glowing amber as he utilized the power of time reversal. Lloyd closed his eyes from above him then reopened them in gold, the green glow of his skin morphing to gold, the energy traveling up to his horns- then shattering them both. His golden glow was blinding, forcing Pixal to look away, missing as the gold seeped into Nya as well as all of the other ninja, all of them united as one. It was over as soon as it started, the light and the barrier fading as the ninja’s original colours bled back into them. Zane held his head, blinking as the golden energy retreated back into Lloyd before looking up at him, ignoring the confused groans of the former enhanced around him.

Reversing their effects wasn’t all that they just did. He floated up towards Lloyd as his golden hair paled back to its blonde colour, the others joining him.

“Lloyd…” Kai began and the blonde shook his head.

“We couldn’t have done it if any of us disagreed. You all know that.” Cole pointed out to them.

“The why and how doesn’t concern me at all.” Jay says, crossing his arms as he gained a serious look. “Question is… Did it work? Will it work?” He asked and they all looked uncertain.

“… Only time will tell.” Zane says solemnly and they all floated there in silence…

Before they all burst out snickering. 

“You couldn’t help yourself, could you?” Nya chuckled and Zane shrugged with a small smile.

“I just thought it was _time _to lighten up the mood.” Zane joked and they all began laughing.

“Are we really doing the pun thing again?” Cole says, amused.

“We stopped? Shocker.” Jay says with a grin and Kai snorted.

“That sucked Jay. Talk about a total burnout.” Kai says, nudging Lloyd. 

“You’re all dorks.” Lloyd huffed at his friends, despite the smile on his face.

Sirens getting closer to their current location broke their happy spell. 

“Right. We should probably get out of here.” Cole pointed out.

“Yeah.” Nya agrees.

“Let’s hold hands. The power of friendship will bring us home.” Jay says with a grin and they all groaned.

“Jay, you watch way too much TV.” Kai says as they all held hands.

“Agreed.” Zane says dryly and Jay sick a tongue out at them before they all vanished in a large bolt of lightning.

Pixal watched as they did, saw as they joked and laughed. She didn’t know how to take it. On one hand, hope filled her at the chance that maybe things weren’t so different, that they were better, that there was a chance they weren’t the monsters her dreams made them out to be. But she wasn’t foolish enough to put her faith in one measly act of goodwill. If they truly wished to gain Ninjago’s forgiveness, they had a lot of work to do. With that, she began rounding up the formerly enhanced, the police soon joining her. 

___________

“Hey Lloyd. Why’d your horns break back there?” Jay asked once they arrived back at the Monastery.

“They were only temporary so they would have broken off eventually.” Lloyd says as they walked inside, his fading back to their casual clothes.

“Huh? Really?” Cole asked, intrigued.

“How so?” Zane asked, curious.

“They were conductors. Or better yet, training wheels.” Lloyd explained, surprising them further.

“Training wheels?! You mean-”

“That my powers were too intense from the beginning fore to handle right away? Yes.” Lloyd finished for Nya as they walked in on an intense game of Mahjong.

“Good work today, ninja.” Wu praised as he took up two tiles.

“I’ll have their new mechs and vehicles out in a day or two so there’s that.” Nya says as she also picked up two tiles.

“I could get started on weapons for them too. Traditional of course. Cole can get me some decent ore and I’ll set up a smithy at the fire temple.” Kai offers, picking up four tiles.

“I haven’t checked if I can make ore but it’ll be good exercise, power wise.” Cole hummed, taking up two tiles.

“I’ll help Nya out with equipment.” Jay offers, taking up eight tiles.

“I’ll help out wherever I can, I guess.” Lloyd shrugged, taking up two tiles as well.

“Good. The other elemental masters will eventually grow used to the routine and adapt. With your help, they will be able to do so sooner.” Wu says, pecking up six tiles since the original game was thrown out the window.

“I wonder if they’ve figured out we helped them before…” Jay says thoughtfully, tapping a tile to his chin. 

_______

“I knew it had to be them.” Shade says, crossing his arms as all the other elemental masters met with Pixal who basically led then, giving them assignments and locations. “If they think anyone will forgive, they have another thing coming to them.” He growled, hatred filling him from just speaking about them.

Knowing they helped them, knowing that they needed their help made him absolutely bitter. He didn’t want anything to do with those monsters.

“I’m not happy about it either but we did need their help. How else would we have taken everyone on? All on the same day? No-one died today because of them.” Neuro pointed out.

“You’re just saying that because they saved your ass.” Ash sneered and they all began to argue across the table, Pixal sitting at the head of it with her hands laced at her mouth.

“Enough!” She finally snapped and they all quieted down immediately. “It doesn’t matter if we’re happy about it or not. Nothing we do can stop them. They’re too powerful. They're…” She frowned deeper

“They’re unstoppable…” She whispered and there was silence all around. 

“That can’t be true yo!” Griffin spoke up as he stood, hands planted firmly on the table, his posture brimming with defiance. “Nobody is unstoppable! We just gotta think outside of the box!” He proposed. 

“There’s no box to think outside of.” Pixal argued back, annoyed now. “They single handedly brought Ninjago to its knees in what totals in 5 minutes. 5 minutes! And they’ve only gotten stronger for what I’ve estimated.” She says, turning around to bring up analytics and video playback of their stunts in New Ninjago City.

“People are starting to call them gods. Vengeful gods but deities nonetheless.” She continued, turning back to them. “It isn’t hard to see why. Their powers are like nothing we’ve ever encountered." 

"So what? You just want us to give up?!” Shade yelled, getting to his feet. “After everything they’ve done?! After all the lives they’ve taken?! After they murdered my family?!” He snarled at her and Pixal remained calm in the face of his anger.

“I never said that.” Pixal says after s moment. “They’re unbeatable but that doesn’t mean that we give up or that we stop fighting. The people of Ninjago are depending on us. The best we can do is to get them out of harm’s way if it comes to it.” She told them and while none of them liked those facts, they nodded, knowing they had to.

They were the new hope of Ninjago. It’s up to them to defend it until the end if it comes to it.

_________

“I don’t know, this seems more up your alley Zane.” Kai says as they all stood in the training yard.

“This isn’t a small feat we’re about to do Kai. Creating a means of reporting, moving instantly from one place to another is bound to be difficult, despite our power.” Zane reminded him, Echo watching them from the steps along with Wu and Garmadon.

“Zane is correct.” Wu says, tilting his rice hat back so he could see them properly. “Which is why it is best for you all to take things slowly. Much like Jay has access to Speed thanks to the awakening of your powers, lightning is truly his means of travel. Perhaps it isn’t so impossible for you all to utilise your elements as travel.” He suggests.

“I like the idea of that.” Cole says with a smirk.

“So how do we do it Sensei Jay?” Nya asked and Jay blinked, caught off guard for a moment.

“Oh, uh. I just… Think of where I want to go and the route I’d take and I just… Go.” Jay shrugged. 

The others looked at him for a while.

“That’s it?” Zane asked, realising Jay wasn’t going to say more.

“Well, yeah. That’s it.” Jay confirmed.

“No way.” Kai immediately denied. 

“Yeah I’m with Kai on this one.” Cole agrees, crossing his large, muscled arms over his chest. “It can’t be that easy.” He says, narrowing his eyes at Jay suspiciously.

“I’m serious! That’s exactly how I do it!” Jay huffs in his own defense.

“He’s right guys.” Lloyd spoke up and they all looked to him. “I’ve traveled like Jay before. That’s all it takes. Though, maybe focusing on your element too would help.” He suggests.

“… Alright. If Lloyd says that’s how then that’s how.” Nya says, crossing her arms as well. 

“Huh?! How come you guys believe Lloyd and not me?!” Jay whined and Cole snorts.

“The chances of Lloyd telling us a lie like you would to prank us is significantly lower.” Zane explained and Jay pouts.

“Who wants to try it first?” Nya says and they all looked at each other.

“Guess I will.” Kai says with a smirk then cracked his neck.

He then closed his eyes, breathing through his nose slowly. He pictured the Fire Temple, visualized the path there, thinking of his burning fire. He didn’t feel any different. He sighed, opening his eyes in preparation to ask for some other tips- only to realise it had worked and he was at the fire temple.

Flare and Solaris blinked at him from their place playing on the bridge, surprised to see their creator appear in a burst of flames. They rushed over after the initial shock and Kai laughed once they tackled him, looking at his face as Spark bolted over from inside as well. Heath walked out moment after, tail swishing as he walked towards where his siblings were eagerly nuzzling their creator, purring happily.

“Go easy with the clothes yeah?” Kai laughed, pushing their snouts away. “I’m not home just yet. I’m sure I’ll be back by tomorrow. I was just testing my powers out.” He explained, stroking their snouts as they sat around him.

They gave disappointed whines but they understood that he had responsibilities aside from them.

“Heath, you’ll keep taking care of them, right?” Kai asked him as they let him stand.

Heath only nodded once and Kai grinned, reaching out to pet him. Heath only opened his mouth and bit his hand.

“Ow! You jerk!” Kai hissed, rubbing his hand. 

Heath just gave him a cheeky look and gave sounds that equaled to him telling Kai he’ll heal. Kai shot him a glare then bid his dragons goodbye before vanishing again, reappearing at the Monastery in a flare of fire.

“I was starting to wonder if you were ever gonna come back.” Cole says cheekily and Kai huffed. 

“At least we know it works.” Kai says, placing his hands on his hips as he looked at his friends.

They all shared a look before they vanished in plumes of sand, mist, snow and gold. They returned moments later and Nya narrows her eyes.

“Hey. Why haven’t you told us about this before?” She asked, looking between Jay and Lloyd.

“We kinda had our hands full with a lot of stuff if you can recall.” Lloyd shrugs.

“Oh right.” Kai says, surprised he somewhat forgot about that.

He could never forget what had happened but it wasn’t in the forefront of his mind like it had been for the longest while. It was… Strange. Good strange.

“So. What’s next on the list?” Lloyd asked and they all blinked at him.

“You’re the head honcho. We should be the ones asking you that.” Jay pointed out.

“Oh. Right.” Lloyd says with a sheepish grin. “In that case, we wait.” He says and they all immediately knew what he meant.

“It’s not guaranteed it worked Lloyd. Our powers may not stretch that far.” Zane reminded him.

“Yeah. I mean, it’s a whole nother realm after all.” Jay added.

“The only thing that isn’t possible for us right now is that which we haven’t thought of. It’s just a matter of being patient.” Lloyd says, tucking his hands into his pockets as he headed towards the Monastery.

“Is this something I should know about?” Garmadon asked his son as he walked by.

“You will soon.” Lloyd hummed as he headed towards his room, content to read his comics until it was time.

Meanwhile, the other ninja shared a look.

“I guess we’ll have to trust him and wait.” Nya says and they all nodded, following after him. 

“What do you think that was all about?” Garmadon asked Wu, both brothers content to enjoy the fresh air of the outside.

“Wait and see.” Echo says as he got up, Tai-D beeping curiously in his arms as he followed after his brother, smiling once Zane offered him one. 

___

Hours passed uneventfully with Zane making large snowflakes for Echo to marvel at, Kai and Cole training outside, Nya using her powers to see what kind of new technology she could create, Jay playing video games and Lloyd meditating outside in the meditation area. Kai grunts as he pulled off a spin kick, the blow connecting solidly to the side of Cole’s head that made the larger male stumble to the side but he only stood straight again, rolling his shoulders as if he was never hit.

“You’re really built like a brick wall.” Kai huffed and Cole smirked.

“Not to brag but I did stand up to the giant stone warrior after taking him head on.” Cole says proudly and Kai laughed.

“Of course you did.” He says, amused as he and Cole called it quits for today.

“Hey Lloyd-” Cole was cut off once he picked up something.

Both he and Kai looked to the sky at the same time, watching as seconds later, a vortex opened overhead. They weren’t surprised at who came through. Not in the slightest. They were just amazed it worked.

The synced roars of the formerly deceased Ultra Dragon sounded as it circled over head, landing shortly after in the large training yard.

“It worked! Rocky!” Cole yelled, rushing over to hug one of the four heads the dragon has. 

Cole was rewarded for his hug with eager nudges and licks that had him laughing up a storm.

“Woah! It worked!” Jay yelled as he ran out, jumping midstep so he could land on Wisp’s head, hugging the dragon he missed so much. “Oh man you don’t know how much we missed you guys!” He yelled as the Ultra Dragon wagged their tail happily.

“Flame! I’ve missed yah!” Kai grinned then laughed as he was nudged hard enough to leave him toppling over.

“Shard!” Said ice dragon head perked update the familiar voice then roared eagerly yo see Zane quickly making his way over, hugging his snout immediately.

“Warms your heart, doesn’t it?” Nya says to Echo who watched with wide eyes, having never seen a dragon before.

Wu and Garmadon whom were also witnessing the reunion watched marveled as they interacted. There was no doubt about it. That dragon is indeed the very same Ultra Dragon from past, its soul brought back from the Departed Realm and its decayed body restored.

The Ultra Dragon spent a few moments to reconnect with the original Ninja before turning to Lloyd where he was still meditating somehow. The others let them go, standing back as they walked over to where Lloyd was, grins still present on their faces.

It was great seeing them again but the Ultra Dragon, all of their individual dragons as one had always belonged to Lloyd. He’s the one that missed them the most after all. The Ultra Dragon walked up to Lloyd then stood behind him, waiting to be acknowledged. It took a moment but Lloyd does come up from his meditation, smoking as he looked over his shoulder at them.

“Hey boy…” Lloyd says softly then stood, facing the large Dragon that stood before him.

He walked forward then reached both hands out, petting two of their four heads, smiling wider as they purred, leaning into his touch. He couldn’t resist. He hugged one of their snouts tightly, heart filled with happiness. It felt as if everything he’s ever wanted, he can finally keep. Friends, his father, UD… He hasn’t felt this happy in… Ever. The world around bum reflected his happiness, flowers blooming anywhere there was soil, the sky clearing up, revealing a clear afternoon sky and a brightly coloured rainbow stretching from both ends of the sky. His friends watched with grins on all of their faces. They’ve never seen their leader, their brothers this happy before. It was a good look on him. And in a way, everything they’ve went through, all the destruction and loss, all the constant fighting, all of it was worth getting to this point. Garmadon walked over then, resting a clawed hand on his son’s head and he grinned up as his father, green eyes bright with joy. It was enough to melt the coldest of hearts. Garmadon only smiled and hugged his son, his happiness contagious.

Yeah, today’s a good day.

______

Loud clangs echoed through the brightly lit volcano, the bright glow of magma creating a large, winged shadow against the wall of the volcano, the shadows hand wielding a hammer, bringing it down repeatedly. The shadow belonged to whom nearby villages and towns called the God of Fire. Kai wasn’t so sure about that title bit they kept calling him and all his friends gods. In fact, the term god was universally used by everyone in Ninjago. It’s just, most consider them evil, vengeful gods whom will bring Ninjago to ruin if anyone so much as met their eyes. The nearby settlements knew that wasn’t true but they weren’t very cozy with him either. They were wary and that was understandable. Expected even. Though he can’t complain too much about it. Because of their wariness, the Forest of Tranquility that held his Fire Temple and where his dragons play and grew was left alone, considered his territory. No-one so much as walked close to the forest itself, fearful of both him and his dragons. Especially his 5th dragon. A massive four headed beast that could swallow man in one bite. Or so the tales say. In reality, Solaris, Heath, Flare and Spark would never harm a fly without them proving themselves threatening. And his fifth dragon wasn’t his to begin with. It was UD, Lloyd’s dragon. He just liked to visit, with or without Lloyd to play with and help raise his Ninjago-borne kin. Kai was perfectly fine with UD playing babysitter. It gives him a moment for himself. Plus watching then romp and frolic was a heartwarming sight.

Right now, he was working on a new weapon. A sword to be exact. He’s made weapons like this for the other elemental masters before. They weren’t too keen to take them but they didn’t push, knowing well enough that they relied on their powers more than they did weapons. They didn’t want to run the risk of offending or angering them further after all. Not that Kai and the rest of the Pantheon would ever strike them down for something like that as everyone outside of their small family had believed. The elementals would use them on their own either way. Shade was most stubborn for reasons they knew and understood but even he had to wield them when facing tough enemies. 

Kai lifted the bright red glowing sword then ran his fingers along it to make sure it was properly made. He nodded at it and put out the heat it held, leaving a dark silver coloured sword in its wake. He set it down on the weapons rack he had embedded into the side of the volcano thanks to Cole. Those are his own swords he kept for the sake of keeping them. He couldn’t make such enriched iron ore go to waste after all. He wiped his hands into his smith’s apron as the wings behind him flexed.

“Come on Solaris. Enough shadow play.” Kai says with a smile as he closed the panel then looked at her from where she still had her wings opened. “Today’s my day for observation and patrol.” He says, heading out, taking off his apron and tossing it aside.

Solaris gave a low whine as she followed him and Kai huffed.

“Cheer up. Today’s your day to come with me.” He says lightly as he reached across to run his hand along her neck as they walked, Solaris much taller than she was just a few weeks ago, much like the rest of their siblings. They’d be big, UD had told him once. He didn’t care much for some, as long as they were happy and healthy.

“Kai!” The ninja paused at the entryway of the temple that connected both the temple and the volcano’s main chamber.

Said entryway also connected to the path to the Underworld. He looked back then grinned to see Cole, God of Earth himself making his way towards him, his sole dragon he decided to make not too long ago next to him that held the name Bolder.

“Fancy seeing you here.” Kai teased lightly and Cole huffed.

“Going out on patrol?” Cole asked as he came to a stop before him. 

“Yeah. Care to join?” Kai asked as Solaris nuzzled Boulder in greeting. 

“Sure. I was gonna let Boulder stretch his wings a little anyway.” Cole shrugged and Kai nodded.

“Alright. Then let’s go.” Cole says and Kai lead the way, their dragons following after them.

Their dragons were too young to carry their weight for long but they were great company. This is what their day consists of. Scheduled patrols, spending time with the small families they’ve made on their own and the even stronger family they all made together. Walking out into the open, Kai takes a deep breath of fresh air. Things were rough before but moments like these reminded them that it was all worth it to get here. Now that they are here, they’d do their part and keep Ninjago safe.

No matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have two more pieces to add to the series but those are gonna be done like,,, late September. I have to add oneshots to my writing schedule again. Thanks for reading!


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